Saving Grace
by SelenityCosmos
Summary: After Wrapped, Coreen takes the initiative and brings them men back to their, now broken, Vicki. But as she does this old enemies show up. Together.
1. Services Rendered

Timeline: After Wrapped.

Summery: Coreen takes the initiative and brings them men back to their, now broken, Vicki. But as she does this old enemies show up. Together.

Disclaimer: Blood is red, Mike's eye are blue, I don't own this- for god's sake don't sue.

Author's note: Inspired by Aftermath by EGrace.

Henry left the office and Vicki sat down again.

Coreen stood in the shadows and watched her boss, the woman she had come to think of as an older sister, sink back into the couch and begin to sob. Vicki was gasping for breath now she was crying so hard. Vicki had always been so strong. When Coreen met her she had been the one to believe in her, to take her case and do what she could, even though Coreen knew that Vicki had thought it was hopeless.

Vicki presented this tough exterior. She never expresses, what she thought of as, weakness in front of others. She was a saving grace to most and a savior to others. She was the guardian angel that Coreen hadn't had as a child. Coreen thought about going to Vicki and trying to comfort her, but realized that Vicki wouldn't appreciate that and so she tried to think of another way to help. Coreen thought hard for days as she watched Vicki fall apart.

Vicki was working one hundred and forty seven hour a week by the end of the second month. And by the end of the third month she was only eating once a day. By the end of the fourth month Coreen was getting paid twenty dollars an hour and Vicki's business was nearly in the black financially. But Vicki was broken and Coreen was getting angrier and angrier with the two men who had disappeared from Vicki's life four months ago. Coreen watched Vicki all day as she worked herself to death. Coreen watched her all night as Vicki sobbed herself to sleep. Until the day that the check came.

One hundred and thirty four thousand four hundred dollars for 'Services Rendered' paid to Victoria Nelson P.I. by one Henry Fitzroy. Vicki opened the envelope, read it, and dropped it on to the table with a blank gaze. Coreen picked it up, read it and without a word she spun and went after the vampire who had slowly been destroying Vicki.

As soon as Henry opened his door, Coreen's fist connected with his cheek. "Services rendered? Vous le fils d'une prostituée! Vous le lâche! How could you?" She roared at him. Henry's jaw dropped as she railed against him. "What gives you the right to treat her like that? She's been though hell because of you! She gave in to the powers she has been fighting against for months because of you! Four months she fights against the inevitable doom that those damned marks bring and then YOU get into trouble and she gives in! And you condemn her for that? How DARE you! You don't deserve all she had done for you. She has lost so much for you. She gave up a normal life. She gave up a loving boyfriend. She gave up her blood. She gave up her sole! How could you DO this to her? Vous pitoyable excuse pour un duc!"

"COREEN!" Henry finally shouted at the baby-goth. Her black lined eyes, which were usually filled with excitement, admiration, and awe around him, were cold and bright with the bottled up fury she had not finished releasing on him. "Coreen, this really isn't of any of you busin-"

"Not any of my business, vous pompeux trompe? Of course it's my business! After you and Mike abandoned her who the HELL do you think had to take care of her, as much as they could, while she starved herself and worked herself to death?! She sleeps about twenty-one hours a WEEK! Of course that's only when she sobs hard enough to get to sleep! Now listen to me, vous le petit bâtard, it's almost dawn and you have to go to sleep and I have to go and watch over Vicki, but if you are not at the office as soon as the sun sets I will come after you and make the crazy priest, Christina, and everyone else you have ever faced seem like a picnic. Do you understand me?" Coreen growled. Apparently Henry didn't answer quite quickly enough because when she didn't get his reply, Coreen bellowed, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

Henry just nodded, still blown away by the fact that the young women yelling at him was the sweet goth who had been so perky and warm until this moment. "Henry?" Coreen said quietly, "That wasn't a threat. That was a promise." Her eyes were infinitely sad now, as though her dreams had been dashed.

And maybe, Henry thought, they had. She had believed in him almost as strongly as she believed in Vicki. It hurt him to see that disappointment in her eyes. "She knew that I hated black magic, Coreen." Henry reminded the baby-goth in a tone that pleaded with her to understand his side of the story, "She knew and she still preformed the ritual."

"I know," Coreen replied her voice just as soft as his, "And I wish I could forgive you." Then she was gone.

* * *

French:

1) You son of a whore! You cowered!

2) You pitiful excuse for a duke!

3) You pompous fool!

4) , you little bastard,


	2. Collaboration

By the time Coreen made it back to the office, Mike had shown up. From what Coreen could hear from outside the room Mike was angry about Vicki being involved in every homicide he drew. Her name continued to show up as the person who had found the body or as the person who had found the killer. All her patience gone, after her encounter with Henry, Coreen barged into the office and shouted, "OUT!" Mike and Vicki turned to her and even Vicki showed surprise- Coreen was equally surprised to see how violently tight Mike's grip on his former partner's wrists was. "Detective Cellucci, kindly vacate the premises before I have you arrested for harassment, trespassing, and police brutality." Coreen spoke in a deceptively calm and even voice. Her smile was dangerously pleasant as her eyes glared daggers at the cop.

Vicki, who had been pulling away from Mike, stopped struggling and spoke softly, "Coreen, it's okay-"

"Vicki, you're going to have bruises." Coreen snapped, regretting it instantly when her boss flinched. Seeing Vicki flinch hurt. Vicki was always so strong. Coreen lashed out at the confused detective, "Great, Cellucci, abusing women. What's next taking a payoff, destroying evidence? What kind of a cop are you? Having a badge means you uphold the law, not that you abuse the law. Just because Vicki has been solving all your cases for you doesn't mean that you get to hurt her even more than you already have. You don't deserve to carry the badge with an attitude like that. It's not her fault that you learned about the supernatural. If you had let her handle her cases and not interfered- or at least listened to her- you never would have known what goes bump in the night. And maybe you wouldn't be so jealous of Henry because you would still be with her. You pushed her away. Now DEAL with it!" Coreen barked at the man.

Mike had dropped Vicki's arms as soon as Coreen had mentioned his grip. He hadn't thought about it, not really, but Coreen was right. He had been spinning out of control because of what he now knew, just as he had told Vicki, but now he realized that it wasn't her fault. It was his. He wanted so much to be there to protect Vicki that he had let his rules for himself go. She was always getting herself in trouble with her stubbornness, her intuition, and her inability to accept help. When they were partners he could make her let him in because that is what you did with a partner. Without that he had been feeling so cut out of her life. Almost helpless, having to wait for her to come to him. He had gotten on best with her when they worked together. When they were partners and best friends first.

"Vicki," he started, but Coreen cut him off.

"That damn well better be an apology, Detective Cellucci, because if it's anything else- well thanks to working with you and Vicki, the police are six on my speed dial." Coreen growled.

"Would you mind letting me do this on my own, Coreen?" Mike asked defensively. Coreen smiled and left the office. Mike turned back to Vicki and heaved a sigh. For the first time in months he looked at Vicki. Truly looked at her. She was thin, pale, and somehow empty. She looked… weak. Mike had always loved how soft Vicki looked when she was asleep, but this was different. It wasn't vulnerable, it was broken. And it was his fault. At least partially

"I'm sorry, Mike." Vicki said softly, "I don't know what's wrong with her. I'll talk to her I promise."

"I should think that would be obvious," Mike replied, "She's worried about you. She's right, too. I shouldn't have- I mean- I'm sorry, Vic." Mike spoke quietly. Vicki stepped forward with a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth. Mike wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Vicki rubbed small comforting circles on his back. Pulling back a little, Mike murmured, "I miss working with you, Vic, and it kills me when I can't help you. I want to help. I want to be the person you fall back on."

"I miss working with you to, but you, more than anyone else, know how hard it is for me to rely on anyone besides myself. It's my business and it's my life. I'm not incapable." Vicki scolded gently.

Mike smiled wryly, "Yes, I did notice that, Vic. But you should treat me like a partner- with all the police- what would you call it? Collaboration? We'll go with that. With all the police collaboration, you should consider me a partner, too." Mike coxed her. Vicki frowned, "Vicki, I'm not just a cop anymore. What I have seen, what I've done- will you think about it?" he asked softly.

Vicki nodded and then gave him a slightly sarcastic smile, "Just don't expect a Christmas bonus." She warned him, leaning into his warmth.

Mike chuckled as she played with his tie, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Outside the office, Coreen smiled. She felt better after raging at the two men. Mike and Vicki seemed to have worked out their differences and soon Henry would be reporting to apologize- hopefully. Nearly fifteen minutes later Mike walked out calling back, "And I'll bring the Chinese since you are having pizza for lunch." Coreen couldn't help smiling at the cop. He was a good friend to Vicki. It was almost a pity that Vicki wasn't in love with him any more.


End file.
